Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Stones Rock

43.11°N · 70.64°W · Bar · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Scup

81/100Great
Now
7511 AM EDT
Best window
4-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.5 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score75Great
Tide4.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward E
Wind6 kn NNEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water61°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with MassDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Black sea bass in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Stones Rock

Depth
20-60 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Stones Rock

Stones Rock is a bar in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 20-60 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Atlantic cod and little tunny. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Atlantic cod, little tunny and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Atlantic cod
Cod hold near coarse, rocky bottom on ledges, banks and wrecks, commonly from 80 to 300 feet in the Gulf of Maine. Drift over the structure with a diamond or cod jig and a teaser fly above it, keeping the jig within a few feet of bottom, or fish clams on a high-low rig. Check the stock area and season before keeping one, because most of the year cod must be released.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Seal Head Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    78
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 78
    • Little tunny 76
    • Bluefish 70

    6 kt NNEL 1:55 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:00 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Argo Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    78
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 78
    • Little tunny 76
    • Bluefish 70

    6 kt NNEL 1:55 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:00 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Moores Rock

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    76
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 76
    • Atlantic cod 74
    • Little tunny 73

    6 kt NNEL 1:41 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:05 PM · 8.4 ft

  • Godfreys Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Little tunny 72
    • Bluefish 70

    6 kt NNEL 1:55 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:00 PM · 8.3 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with MassDMF before you keep a fish.